Nervous Changes

I looked at my Comcast bill the other day and decided it was finally time to get rid of my cable TV.

I'm going almost cold turkey on this. I'm going from the "Silver Package" of a couple hundred channels to the basic 2,4,6,7,9,13 and well, that's it. I don't think I even will have access to OnDemand anymore, the last banyon of the "I'm bored."

I've been contemplating this for a very long time, and I'm nervous about doing something so drastic. I really think I've wasted too much time watching TV as a sort of escape from the challenges of living alone. I have a lot of things that I like to do and want to do more. Photography: I have a killer Alien Bees set-up I haven't practiced with in a while, as well as film, video, antique cameras and my trusty Nikons. Schoolwork: that helps me more bankable to employers. Artwork: in the form of my pens and inks. Friends: what an assortment!

True to form, I have my way around my self-imposed video hiatus. Thank goodness for things like HULU and my stout collection of DVDs. For $80 a month, I can go to see a few movies at a theatre or buy more DVDs. And I can always bother my kids and go to their houses and watch TV. Matt and Jill have a 52" plasma screen, Jason and Kate have my old 48" big screen with 8 speakers with surround sound and Paul, well Paul has even less cable than me.

I know people who have given up TV and are perfectly happy; Jason and Kate got rid of the TV upstairs and now if you want to be a vidiot, you have to make a commitment and go in the basement to watch it. Other people at school have given up TV and I see their productivity skyrocket. Surely, I can benefit from not having the boob-tube so readily available. The ole' google-lantern really needs to have less of a place in my day.

So, so long to Nip/Tuck, ESPN Drag Racing, Spike and the Food Network. Goodbye to my DVR and the 65% full contents. At least I won't have the hell scared out of me anymore by Ghost Hunters. Time to have a new assumption about my day and what's in it.

R.I.P. my beloved DVR.